Council tax to be frozen for Dundonians as part of budget plan from SNP

DUNDEE’S council tax payers will see their bills frozen for the coming financial year, according to the SNP administration’s budget plans.

The council tax freeze leads a serious of “ambitious” proposals as the ruling group seeks to balance pandemic spending pressures with greater investment in education, health, tackling poverty, drugs and climate change.

The council’s annual budget setting process will take place virtually on Thursday March 4.

The party’s plans include a 3% wage increase for its lowest paid employees.

A renewed commitment to building a new Mill of Mains community facility and the £60 million Craigie/Braeview secondary school replacement is also included.

If approved, the administration will increase the council’s spending on the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership to £82.6m.

About £4.4m in savings have been outlined in the proposed budget.

Some of the cuts will come from placing fewer children in external care, restructuring the council’s corporate business support services and shrinking the budget for Dundee youth work charity Helm.

Councillor Willie Sawers, the SNP’s finance spokesman (pictured inset, right), said the group was “acutely aware of the need to support the city during and post-pandemic.”

“We’ve made sure that money is available to do just that,” he said.

“We are investing more money in health and social care, in education, in tackling poverty and deprivation, in delivering new schools and council houses and in tackling climate change.

“These are the areas that Dundonians have told us they see as a priority.”

He said he hoped more Scottish Government funding would allow the group to bring forward further proposals to help boost the city’s recovery.

“Covid-19 has had a significant impact on our city’s wellbeing and economy and we will continue to deal with that for some time to come,” he added.

The Scottish Government has provided £90m to councils to allow for the equivalent of a 3% council tax rise, helping them to freeze rates at current levels.

The SNP Dundee proposals – which must be approved next week – also include a freeze on burial charges and an extra £1 million on top of what has previously been announced for mental health, drugs issues and tackling poverty.

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander, said: “Setting the council’s £372m net budget is always a challenge but I firmly believe that our priorities align with the public’s.

“We have looked carefully at the feedback from the recent budget consultation, reflected on the issues facing Dundee and tried to ensure we focus on health, education and the entrenched social issues of poverty and drugs.